From the Depths of the Rubicon
by duskdrop
Summary: Redemption does not always go to the deserving or even the willing.  Sasuke and the conseqences of his actions. slight narusasu sasunaru implied.


Sasuke didn't know what he had expected by joining Sound. Now he thinks back and it seems like he didn't really know anything about the village at all, even after the invasion. It's not all that surprising though, his defection had more to do with leaving Konoha than going to Sound. Sasuke watched as Kabuto leaned over the unconscious patient laying limply on one of many exam tables, flashing a light across their eyes checking for dilatation. With a thoughtful hum the medic jotted down something on a medical chart and straightened up the poor saps eyelid finally free from abuse.

"Only time will tell with this one, he could pull out of the coma… or not. I'm correct in thinking that's what you wanted to know, right Sasuke-kun?"

"Yeah, but will he even be given a chance to recover?" Sasuke gave Kabuto a harsh look. He had phrased it as a question but didn't really want an answer; he already knew that the guy on the table would be used for experimentation. In his opinion the hair trigger tendency to slice open its ninja force for the sake of science was one of many reasons Sound never found the equilibrium needed to grow into a recognized Hidden Village. He had pointed that out to Orochimaru in their many conversations that usually popped up when he could no longer move after a grueling training session. His teacher usually countered by pointing out that he didn't make Sound to become a recognized military force, but a backing for his various schemes, thus knowledge trumped military capability.

"You should know by now the answer to that Sasuke-kun, baiting me won't help save him." Kabuto readjusted his glasses and gave him a smirk. "In fact I don't even know why you risked your life to retrieve him. Keep this up and Orochimaru-sama will not allow you on anymore missions."

Sasuke gritted his teeth; the slimy medic had hit a sensitive nerve. The most jarring change wasn't ethics or training techniques but the mindset of the two villages. Sasuke's views on teamwork confused the higher level sound nin to no end, when he refused to leave them behind. While it amused Orochimaru greatly, Kabuto found it necessary to voice his disapproval quite often.

That exact attitude is why they were in this mess now. The ninjas that ambushed their squad on the ill-fated mission were scraping by Jounin level. Sasuke was able to convince their kunoichi squad mate to flee even though she had been willing to fight and allow him to escape instead. The other shinobi barely older than Sasuke and infinitely more stubborn refused to retreat. In the end the other shinobi had suffered head trauma and multiple other injuries Sasuke didn't know the first thing about healing. Instead with a full squad bearing down on him e prepared to make a stand despite the voice in his head molded from tsukiyomi shouting at him to at least try and run. He hadn't expected the blast just from off the side of the clearing, but that didn't stop him from using the much needed distraction to his advantage. His teammate and he were in the rushing water of the nearby river before the enemy shinobi could even blink. He wasn't strong enough to take them out and walk away, but he was much faster.

They were swept down the torrent of murky water; the icy cold stabbed his lungs as he tried to keep their heads above water. As soon as the current had taken them far from the danger, Sasuke used chakra to push himself along the river bed until he could climb to shore dragging the boy along. The kunoichi of their team waited crouched on the grainy shore, tense expression marring her usually pretty face.

"If I found you, so can the enemy. Let's go." The girl's voice wavered as she tried to catch her breath. Sasuke pulled himself up dragging the lifeless body behind him. He duly noted the weightless surreal feeling he got that he supposed should be named relief, but was dampened by the lack of response from his teammate. He nodded to the girl as she slipped the boys arm over her own shoulder and in tandem they both stood pulling the boy up with them.

"Thanks for that diversion, it saved us." Sasuke was surprised at the rough scratchy texture of his voice, no inflection showed in his comment. The girl tilted her head in his direction, but didn't reply. He had a feeling she didn't know what to say.

When they were sure that they were no longer being followed, they stopped and set up a makeshift camp. They started a fire regardless of the chance it would reveal their position. According to the girl they shouldn't be followed, as long as they didn't recognize Sasuke. At this Sasuke silently thanks Kabuto for convincing him to no longer wear his clan symbol and also thanks Naruto for taking his slashed headband, although he will never admit it. Thinking about his old team was always accompanied by mixed feelings and annoying what ifs.

He settled across the fire from the girl after settling the unconscious boy close to the fire. He cursed under his breath, they should have had a medic with them, and he hadn't a clue how to help his injured teammate. His basic grasp on first aid wasn't adequate and after asking his other teammate he discovered that she couldn't do anything helpful either. They would just have to patch him up the best they could, and get him to Kabuto as fast possible.

His back hit the rough bark of the tree as he closed his eyes and calculated how far away from the current main Sound lair they were. They could make it by late morning, but going on tonight was impossible, Sasuke could feel the exhaustion radiating from the kunoichi and feel it in his own bones. If they tried to push they wouldn't make it.

They didn't bother to set up watches, even if they had the forewarning neither of them were in any condition to fight or make flight. They just smothered the fire and got some much needed rest.

The trek back in the morning was as silent as the night before and even more urgent. The shinobi boy had not yet woken up and the kunoichi stared at the injured boy expressionlessly. Sasuke pulled one of the hidden seals off the trees to alert the ninjas residing in Sound that they needed help. They sat down and waited for a team to retrieve them. Sasuke nearly laughed at the seemingly insignificant piece of paper in his hand. Sound may be careless about their prisoners and various expendables, but if you were functional they made sure you were taken care of. Orochimaru had put a lot of energy into recruitment, he had to, the Sannin had to acquire his workforce while they young and under the table. All the talent that didn't get picked up by the major villages or as he privately thought in his head the rejects a village made up of unfortunates. He was getting real tired of sacrificing for the common good and overlooking such tragedies outlook the world had adopted.

Sasuke caught the girl staring at their unconscious teammate and in a moment without really thinking he tried to reassure her.

"He's going to be okay." The girl's eyes snapped up to stare at him in tempered silence. He had never noticed how_ green _they were, not like Sakura's bright sea foam green, but hard cut like an emeralds. Those eyes sized him up.

"and how... would you know that?" Her words were spat not spoken, "Not everyone has a free pass like you." The arrival of the retrieval team saved Sasuke from replying. He did catch what she muttered under her breath though.

"At least for now."

Kabuto began putting away the medical supplies into the various drawers and containers located in the room. Sasuke got up and began to help just to have something to do. It was a curious habit he had picked up since coming to Sound. He found it was easier to be at peace with his defection from Konoha if he didn't think about it as much and always kept busy; never stop and look back.

Kabuto gave him an amused look as he finished up and walked out the door. Sasuke paused to look at the unconscious boy one last time. It finally occurred to him he didn't know the boy name. In a moment of morbid curiosity he walked across the poorly lit exam room and reached for the boy's chart and discover his name. At the last moment he thought the better of it, and turned and walked out of the room.

Across from the door against the hallway wall the kunoichi that was on their team leaned, a serious expression on her face. She looked up as he walked out of the makeshift surgery room; again he was struck by the color of her eyes. He wondered what unfortunate circumstances landed her a place among the ranks of Sound.

"Is he going to make it?" He voice is softer now but no less broken than when she first saw them on the bank of the river, bloody and grit covered.

"How should I know?" He doesn't regret throwing her words back in her face, even though he knows he should. Let her go into the room and read the damned chart if she was truly invested in the boy's life, he will surely not. Her face pales but she does not move from her spot.

"What's your name?" Sasuke could kick himself, he doesn't want to know her name either, she will be just as dead as the boy in the room behind him, probably sooner than later.

_'Then again so will I'_

"It's Emi, Sasuke-sama"


End file.
